The 2,000-mile stretch of land between the U.S. and Mexico is one of the richest regions in North America. It’s a tapestry of cultural treasures, bicultural communities, diverse ecosystems, and historical and natural landmarks. It’s a safe haven for wildlife such as the endangered Mexican gray wolf, jaguar, bighorn sheep, and ocelot, and home to millions of American families who live and thrive in peace. It is also where President Trump tried to build an infamous 30-foot border wall. With Trump out of power, President Biden can end the wall and heal the damage — but we need your help.
Border wall construction during the Trump administration wreaked havoc on the borderlands, scarring the land and harming all those who depend on it. The Trump administration bulldozed Native American burial sites, dynamited mountains, erected walls in flood plains that dangerously deplete water from sensitive desert ecosystem, and seized ranches and farms from families to build wall. All of this was done by waiving dozens of environmental protection laws that would have rendered the wall illegal in any other part of the country.
In his first day in office, President Biden ordered a temporary stop to wall construction and a review of all existing activities and contracts. After the review, he will decide whether construction continues or stops.
Continued wall construction would circumvent the law and threaten communities, landscapes, wildlife, and even historic churches and cemeteries along the border. We need your help to stop this attack on communities, public health, and the environment. Tell the Biden administration to:
- Permanently stop wall construction
- Cancel all active and future construction contracts
- Remediate the damage already done by the wall
If construction continues, the wall would:
- Cost taxpayers between $20 and $70 billion
- Disrupt local economies dependent on cross-border trade
- Block the migration paths of several threatened and endangered species
- Hinder the natural flow of waterways, potentially causing devastating flooding and destruction to wildlife, lives, and property.
The border wall was yet another gimmick used by the Trump administration to intimidate communities, particularly Latinx and immigrant ones, that are fighting for their civil rights, including their right to a healthy environment. It’s a symbol of fear being justified by the fiction that our border communities must be militarized and somehow deserve fewer protections under the law.
A wall is a waste of money and a distraction from the very real issues border communities face. Our border communities need funding for schools, environmental cleanup, and wildlife protection — not a divisive wall. Tell the Biden administration to protect communities, lands, wildlife, and historic cultural sites by cancelling the border wall.
